Eagles stats: Kevin Byard is dynamic and durable addition; A.J. Brown joins elite company

The Eagles improved to 6-1 with their win over the Miami Dolphins. Here are five stats that help paint the picture from the team’s latest victory.

Let’s kick things off with a player who actually wasn’t involved in Sunday night’s game. New safety Kevin Byard, who was acquired Monday from the Tennessee Titans, has started 104 consecutive games dating back to 2017. The two-time All-Pro is a safety by trade, but he boasts plenty of experience from the slot as well. Last season, he took 506 snaps at free safety, 393 snaps at box safety, and 201 at nickel cornerback. Byard has 27 career interceptions. He will serve a dynamic addition to a secondary that needed to be patched up ahead of the NFL trade deadline at the end of the month.

Only two wide receivers in NFL history have recorded 125-plus receiving yards in five consecutive games: Calvin Johnson and A.J. Brown.

Brown joined elite company with his 10-catch, 137-yard outing against the Dolphins. He ranks second in the NFL behind Tyreek Hill with 809 receiving yards, including 701 yards over his last five games. Similar to Byard, Brown also was acquired via trade with the Titans in April 2022.

“I think this week at practice, A.J. was having an unbelievable practice,” coach Nick Sirianni said Sunday night. “And I went up to [owner Jeffrey Lurie], and I go, ‘Thanks for the $100 million to pay A.J. Brown. I really appreciate that.’”

» READ MORE: Eagles’ Jalen Hurts played through an injury and turnovers to emerge victorious vs. the Dolphins

The Dolphins offense managed just 10 points against the Eagles and defensive coordinator Sean Desai. Entering the game, Miami was averaging an NFL-best 37.2 points per contest. Across the board, the Dolphins registered season lows on offense. It’s a credit to Desai, who hasn’t benefited from any continuity at all three levels of the defense, especially at secondary. Thanks to the addition of Byard, Desai will be able to continue to fully implement his scheme with proven veteran leadership on the back end.

“You see why we hired him, right?” Sirianni said of Desai. “We knew the type of guy we were getting. I just think he’s done a phenomenal job. What I think he’s done such a good job of is what I admire of any coach — adapting to the personnel that you have.”

Eagles rookie defensive back Eli Ricks was thrown into the fire and escaped unscathed. The undrafted Ricks recorded 14 coverage snaps and was targeted three times — all against bona fide All-Pro wideout Tyreek Hill.

Ricks allowed zero receptions, including his pass defense to effectively seal the game on the Dolphins’ final offensive play: Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa attempted to connect with Hill on an out route near the right sideline, but Ricks maintained his leverage and reached across his body to break up the pass and force the turnover on downs.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has committed 10 turnovers this season, the second-highest total in the NFL behind Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder (11). Against the Dolphins, Hurts was strip-sacked and he threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown by linebacker Jerome Baker. Hurts upped his interception total to eight, tied with Jimmy Garoppolo for most in the league.

Some of Hurts’ interceptions earlier in the season were out of his control (dropped passes, fluky bounces, etc.). But his pick-six arguably could have been avoided after Hurts tried to squeeze a throw to Brown off a run-pass option play call. As the season progresses, Hurts’ turnover count is worth monitoring. His next interception will tie his career high of nine in 2021. For comparison, Hurts had just eight turnovers (six interceptions, two fumbles lost) in 2022.

“Nothing really needs to be said,” Hurts said of his latest pick. “It’s another very unfortunate play, but you know, we’re mentally in the game. It’s just [about] pressing on and continuing to do the things we can control.”